UPDATE: Lake County sheriff doesn't resign, welcomes recall effort

LAKEPORT -- A group of citizens announced Tuesday they began collecting signatures for a petition to recall Lake County Sheriff Frank Rivero.

Group representatives informed Rivero of their intent to initiate a recall effort about three hours before the Lake County Board of Supervisors (BOS) unanimously issued a vote of no confidence for the sheriff and asked him to resign from his elected post.

Rivero said after the BOS meeting that he would not voluntarily leave office and would welcome a recall election.

"I'm not concerned about that. Let the people speak ... I'm anxious to hear what they say," the sheriff said.

Former Lake County Sheriff's Sgt. Chris Rivera, a spokesman for the recall group, said they are trying to oust Rivero because of dishonesty, incompetence and broken promises.

"This is a committee to recall Rivero and restore integrity. It's made up of a large group of Lake County citizens, many of whom supported Frank Rivero when he first ran for sheriff," Rivera said. "We feel that it is actually our duty to initiate this recall."

One of the primary reasons for the effort was Lake County District Attorney Don Anderson's recent determination that Rivero lied after a 2008 on-duty shooting, according to Rivera.

The sheriff denies allegations of untruthfulness and has filed a lawsuit challenging Anderson's inquiry.

"I will fight this fight until I'm cleared again and vindicated," Rivero told the BOS at the Lake County Courthouse Tuesday morning.

The supervisors' discussion on the sheriff turned into a session for airing grievances, hurling accusations and taking sides in the court of public opinion.

The debate opened with remarks from supervisors Rob Brown and Anthony Farrington, who brought the no-confidence and resignation requests to their colleagues.

"It would have been nice to have been able to avoid this, but the time has come," Brown said.

Brown has been one of Rivero's strongest critics, calling out the sheriff for lawsuits brought against the county, poor employee relations, ineffective management and a meager work schedule.

Farrington honed in on Rivero's interactions with the BOS, saying, "We've had not only strained relationships historically, but now we've moved to the point with no relationship with the sheriff."

Rivero, who was elected in 2010, then spoke his peace to the supervisors and the citizens watching in person and on television.

"This hearing is illegitimate and a sham. I'm a constitutional officer elected by the people, not this board. This board has no authority to fire me and no authority to ask me to resign," Rivero said.

The sheriff accused the BOS of corruption and called Anderson weak and corrupt.

"There is political corruption in this county that allows for these types of things to go on, and it should not be tolerated. In fact, it should be prosecuted," Rivero said.

The sheriff alleged Brown completed unpermitted grading on his property and jeopardized the unsolved Forrest Seagrave homicide by showing a photograph of a possible suspect "around the county."

Brown rebuffed many of the sheriff's assertions, saying at one point, "No, you're lying again, Frank."

The supervisor initially said he showed the photograph to one person, but later said he displayed the picture on a second occasion that he forgot about, after being corrected by a citizen.

"I will not resign," Rivero told the supervisors. "In my opinion, a vote of no confidence by this board (Tuesday) amounts to a resounding vote of confidence by the people of the county."

Farrington said in a rebuttal to Rivero, "Your corruption allegations don't hold any water and they don't stick, unless you provide me with some more specifics."

The meeting drew approximately 100 attendees, nearly 30 of whom shared varying opinions with the BOS. The speakers included individual citizens, city officials, former law enforcement officers and county department heads.

Everyone from the supervisors to the sheriff to the DA received some sort of criticism during the debate.

"What you are going to do (Tuesday) on this vote is improper for this board," Clearlake Oaks resident Jim Steele said, adding that the BOS discussion was simply grandstanding.

Lake County Chief Probation Officer Rob Howe resigned as a Lake County Sheriff's captain soon after Rivero took office.

"It became evident to me very quickly that in order to work for Frank I would have to basically forget everything I had ever come to believe about leadership, management and integrity," Howe said. "The price to stay there was too high."

Resident Phil Murphy said, "The county needs a new prison built and it needs to give a raise to the deputies. I wish the board would focus on those important goals and get to work on them."

Joey Luiz, a former Rivero supporter and current Clearlake councilman, said, "I'm sorry Frank, but you've disappointed a lot of us that put you where you are and I hope you would do the right thing and step down."

North Lakeport resident Debbe Blake urged the parties to pay for private mediation to "settle your issues and get on with business."

Anderson denied allegations levied by Rivero about favoritism in prosecutions and inappropriate handling of incidents involving his family members and friends.

The DA also commented on the inquiry into Rivero's statements after the 2008 shooting.

"This is the last thing I ever wanted to do," Anderson, who was also elected in 2010, said. "This has caused me nothing but heartache. This has caused me nothing but political embarrassment. The whole county has been embarrassed."

At the end of the 2.5-hour discussion, all five Lake County supervisors said they had no confidence in Rivero. The entire BOS signed a one-page letter asking for Rivero's resignation.

The letter cited Anderson's determination as well as "the ongoing lack of cooperation, ignorance of process, concerns of dishonesty and unnecessary costs to the taxpayers."

"I think this county is in deep need of healing," District 3 Supervisor Denise Rushing said. "The skills required are not confrontation and accusation. The skills required to heal are going to be collaboration, figuring out how to find middle ground, figuring out ways to move forward."

"For the reasons of my respect for our law enforcement community and the situation that has deteriorated to this point, I have to support this vote of no confidence," District 1 Supervisor Jim Comstock said.

"I really have to regretfully say that I have to support the vote of no confidence," Smith said.

In an effort to show that his support was motivated by doing what's right for the county and not a personal vendetta, Brown said he would step down as a county supervisor if Rivero resigned by 5 p.m. Tuesday.

Lake County Registrar of Voters Diane Fridley said her office has not received a notice of intention related to the recall effort. If a petition were approved for circulation, proponents would have to gather 7,026 signatures in 120 days, she added.

Jeremy Walsh is a staff reporter for Lake County Publishing. Reach him at 263-5636, ext. 37 or jwalsh@record-bee.com. Follow Twitter coverage, @JeremyDWalsh or #LakeBOS.